


Hide Your Feathers

by infiniteviking



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angstfluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-15 03:56:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteviking/pseuds/infiniteviking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another day, another emergency, another conversation with the TARDIS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide Your Feathers

"Doors _closed_!" barked River, heaving the Doctor through into the console room, blaster shots flashing over their heads. The doors obeyed as she stretched her burden none too gently on the deck, sprang up the stairs, loosed the brakes, and hit the dematerialization control, and the noise of the battle faded into silence.

For a moment, barely long enough to take a breath, she braced her arms on the console; then she was down on stairs again and listening to the Doctor's hearts, tilting his head to make sure he was breathing, feeling in his hair for the lump from the knockout blow he'd taken.

Finally, relaxing just slightly, she sighed and murmured, "You'll keep. You gold-plated idiot." She looked up at the console. "Do you know what he did? He rescued the heir of Degas Solace before the Paraform had a chance to fall. The poor girl's going to grow up a soldier now, which means she'll be surrounded by stone-cold killers all her life and also have at least a chance of not dying before she's twenty..... I don't know whether I love him or hate him sometimes."

The console room's lights lights blinked quietly around her until she'd swallowed some of the roughness away from her voice.

"All right," she said at last, brushing a matted lock of hair away from her face. "Infirmary. Where -- what do you mean he _jettisoned_ it? And you _let_ him -- how could anything need that much power -- well, can you restore it? Wasn't there a backup?" 

She listened for a moment. The room hummed and darkened slightly, and River's eyes narrowed.

"You are _not my mummy_ ," she growled, feeling one ludicrous step away from stamping her foot.

A slight sound, or perhaps a movement, drew her attention back down to the floor, where the Doctor's eyes were open. Wordless for a moment, she knelt again and shifted to get a better look at him, emotions mixing on her face.

"Getting acquainted?" he murmured, barely audible above the console-room noise, a faint smile pulling at his mouth.

"She thinks you're an idiot," answered River promptly, her fingers gentle in his hair.

"Ah, well." He tried to move, grimaced, and closed his eyes again, though the smile lingered. "She's probably right."


End file.
